


Merry Christmas Indeed

by Klynn_stormz



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Captain Swan - Freeform, Captain Swan Secret Santa 2019 (Once Upon a Time), Christmas, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Secret Santa, cs secret santa 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:34:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21948922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Klynn_stormz/pseuds/Klynn_stormz
Summary: Emma Swan has been best friends with Killian Jones since she was 8. When he suddenly disappears from her and her son's life she thought she wasn't enough. After finding out some secrets from an unfortunate ex, she decides to take the weekend before Christmas to figure out her feelings. So when Killian shows up to make sure she's okay, she's more than ready for some answers.
Relationships: Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan
Comments: 16
Kudos: 52





	Merry Christmas Indeed

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RecoveringTheSatellites](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RecoveringTheSatellites/gifts).



> Merry Christmas Thisonesatellite, I am your secret Santa!! I really hope you enjoy this story! I've enjoyed talking with you, now I don't have to send anonymously!

The cabin was settled far back off the little dirt road used for the National Park. The ground was covered in about six inches of snow from the previous few weeks, it glistened and sparkled in the mid-afternoon sun. The clearing for the cabin was small, cozy even, with tall thick trees surrounding and towering over it. Emma was lucky enough that the place had belonged to the Nolan’s long before the area was declared part of a National Park; it was the perfect way to get away for the week. With Christmas a few days away she was stressed enough, but after the enlightening breakfast at her parents’ house she really needed an escape. The jeep David had let her borrow navigated the snow easily, it wasn’t supposed to start snowing for another few hours, time enough for her to get all her supplies for the week into the cabin and start warming it up. David had reminded her of the generator in the back in case power went out, the storm wasn’t supposed to be too bad, but you never could be sure in Maine in December. 

Emma closed her eyes briefly to listen to the quiet forest around her, she had only been here once or twice before, and always with David and Mary Margaret. At 25 years old she had only known her parents for eight years. They had been young when they had had her. After a lot of deliberation, arguing, family intervention and so on, they had decided to give her up for adoption. She was given to the Swan’s days after birth; when she was three, they were still in the process of adoption and found out they were having another baby, they didn’t want her anymore. Emma moved from foster home to foster home, never finding a place she fit. She had seen all kinds of ‘parents’ and been through hell with many of the homes, she met her best friend in the world though, and that was worth a lot. Eventually she ended up in a Boston foster home where her parents tracked her down at sixteen. 

The jeep rolled to a stop near the front steps and she hopped out into the cold. For just a moment she took in the silence of the forest, living in a small town had gotten her used to quiet, but there was something almost magical about being all alone in the wood, she loved to wander and explore, though it was much too cold right now to do any of that. The cold wind whipped and whistled through the thick trees, creating a beautiful melody Emma hoped to fall asleep to. For a moment she considered unloading the car and sitting on the porch for a little bit, but she dispelled that thought quickly. She’d rather get settled in for the night. She had had a horrible day, which had come from a few horrible months, she needs to rest and think, that’s why she was here. 

Her thoughts turned to her best friend, the one who had stuck by her through all the homes and moves, who had been noticeably absent the past few months. She had found out why early this morning, she wasn’t sure how to feel, it hurt, it made her angry, it made her sad. She sighed and hoped she would figure out what she wanted to do over the next few days. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, she pulled it out to find that Henry had texted her from Regina’s phone. He was the best thing to ever happen to her. Her little seven-year-old was the light of her life. 

Mom! Gina snow gave me the phone to tell u I luv u! Thanks for letting me sleep at rolands for the week! We will have so much fun!  
She grinned at his words, thank heavens for autocorrect or she may not have understood him. Her little boy was growing up faster than she liked, and she was grateful to be a part of every moment. She sent a quick ‘I love you’ back and began unloading the car.  
\---  
It was nearly midnight and she hadn’t managed to fall asleep. Her mind was still replaying the last few months, and especially this morning. When everything had come out she had bundled Henry up, dropped him off at a willing and worried Regina’s, and bolted for the cabin. Her mom and dad had been texting her nonstop since she left, trying to apologize and get her to come back, but she needed to think. It wasn’t that she didn’t see where they were coming from, it wasn’t even that she was mad at them. What she was mad at was that the entire situation came about because her ex thought he could come back into her life and she would jump into his arms. She was mad that it had been her best friend who had gotten hurt and decided to back off. Emma sighed a clutched her hot chocolate to her chest, she wished she had someone she could just spill the whole story too. As if on cue, a hard knock sounded at the front door. 

Emma jumped off the couch, grabbed the gun she kept close. No one lived out here; the closest cabin was miles away. She figured it was probably David or Mary Margaret, tired of her ignoring their calls and texts, but you could never be too careful. When she flung open the door she startled, he was the last person she had been expecting. The night was dark, but not pitch black; the storm clouds in the sky cast an eerie white light she knew meant it would snow soon. He stood on the porch, wrapped in a thick black coat, jeans, a dark gray beanie, and his well-worn motorcycle boots. 

Killian Jones was probably the most handsome man Emma had ever seen. It had taken her a long time to realize it though, having known him since she was 8 before she noticed boys. But he really was, seriously hot. His square jaw was lightly covered with stubble, she had the strong urge to rub her face on. His beautiful, brilliant blue eyes shined from the cabin porch light, a soft hopeful smile on his lips as he took her in. God, she wanted to throw her arms around him and cry, maybe never let go. It was this line of thought that drew her back from him, she could not deal with those thoughts when she was still struggling with everything. 

“Jones.” She said softly, taking a step back into the cabin. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to- “He paused and cleared his throat; his right hand came up to scratch behind his ear. “I thought I’d come check on you.”

“You thought you’d come check on me.” She repeated, testing the words out. With them came a rush of her emotions from the last few months. “Why? You’ve been ignoring me for months now, and just happened to decide to come visit me? Who called you? Mary Margaret? Regina? Oh hell, it if was Ruby…”

Killian winced at the flatness of her tone. “May I come in love? Please?”

“Fine, but first.” She moved in front of him, her eyes fired with emotion. “I’m not your love, you lost that right when you disappeared.”

He nodded mutely and continued inside, a duffle bag she hadn’t noticed before, slung over his shoulder. She walked back into the living room, her mind racing with what she was going to do. Let him talk? Rant at him? Both? She wasn’t quite sure, hopefully she could send him back to town in the morning. Her phone rang and she glanced at it, Killian had made his way to the guest bedroom to set his stuff down. Ruby was calling. 

“You bitch!” She growled into her phone when she answered. 

“Hello to you too!” Ruby cheered back, not put out in the slightest by Emma’s menacing tone. “I sent a Christmas present your way. Have fun!”

“First, Christmas isn’t till Tuesday! There are four more days. Second, this isn’t a present this is a punishment! What the hell Ruby?” 

“You missed him, he missed you. You had a stupid fight with your loving but overwhelming parents over the fact that your will never get with your ex, you haven’t talked to your best friend in months. This is totally a present, now you have Killian all to yourself and nobody to pester you.”

“He’ll pester me! Ruby, really, I appreciate the thought… I really do, but he was the one who stopped talking, he was the one who just left out of the blue. I really don’t need this today; I came to get away from the mess that is my life.” Emma blew out a breath and rubbed a hand down her face. 

“What was that? You’re breaking up!” Ruby called, before promptly hanging up. 

Emma sighed, she was so done with today, hell she was done with this year. When she turned from her place at the living room window she saw Killian standing there awkwardly, it was obvious he had heard at least the end of the conversation. She wasn’t going to feel bad, everything she said was the truth. He had ignored her, just left her, and it wasn’t even only her that he left. When he stopped talking to her, that meant Henry too. She wasn’t sure how to get over that. 

“Lov—Lass I came to explain myself, if that helps put you at ease.” He began haltingly. “If we could just talk for a moment Emma, then I’ll leave, please.” The last part took on a begging tone. 

All of the sudden the weight of the day seemed to crash down on her, she was exhausted. Emma closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she thought back to earlier in the year when he had told her she needed to start meditating. 

“Swan, I’m telling you! It’s god for your soul.” He was playing on the living room floor with Henry, telling her about whatever new fad he had discovered. 

“I think my soul will be just fine Jones.” She rolled her eyes at him, knowing that she would probably indulge him anyway. “Alright boys, pizza’s here, go wash up.”

That had been one of the last times she had spent time with him. It was memories like that that never failed to make her smile and hurt these days. After he had started to ignore her, she had actually looked into meditation, and found that it did help, at the very least if gave her exercises to calm herself down and put things in perspective. When she opened her eyes, she made her decision. 

“Not tonight Killian, you can explain yourself over breakfast before you leave.” Emma was proud her voice didn’t shake or falter. 

Killian nodded, bowing his head slightly. “Then let me say good night Swan, I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

She moved past him to the master suite. And to her surprise, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.  
\---

Earlier that day

Christmas time in Storybrooke seemed like something out of a movie, Emma was fairly sure she had seen the street decorations on a Hallmark movie she’d watched last night. Waking up early, she played in the snow with Henry, who was excited for the light snowfall, and headed to her parent’s farmhouse for their traditional Saturday breakfast. Henry was babbling away, asking to spend the night with Roland, Regina’s new stepson, and wanting to know when Killian would drop by for decorating the Christmas tree. At that last question, Emma felt a squeeze in her heart, she doubted that he would be coming around anytime soon. The last time they had seen him was August 12th, and that was in passing, he had greeted Henry, gave Emma a small smile, and hurried away. The sting of that last encounter was still fresh.

They turned into the long drive of the farmhouse, it was settled on a few acres of land, and that’s when Emma noticed a car that hadn’t wasn’t familiar to her. She frowned, it wasn’t uncommon for Mary Margaret to invite people to their Saturday breakfast, but she normally gave Emma a head up first. Since Killian hadn’t been coming to breakfast, her mother had taken it upon herself to make Emma feel better by inviting many random people over.

“Gramma! Gramma!” Henry cried as Emma helped him out of the bug. Mary Margaret stood on the porch, only a light shawl wrapped around her shoulders despite the freezing temperatures. She beamed at Henry, ushering him inside to help his grandpa with setting the table. 

“Honey! You were running a little late, I was getting worried.” Mary Margaret admonished. 

“Henry was excited about the snow.” Emma explained, “He insisted on playing in it before we came over.”

Mary Margaret laughed. “Well shall we eat? Oh! I also invited a special guest over.” She said slyly.

Emma frowned, a feeling of unease twisting in her stomach. “Mom, you’re not going to try setting me up, again are you? I don’t want that, and I definitely don’t want that in front of Henry. Remember Walsh? Graham? August?” She could go on, but hoped she’d made her point. 

“Oh no! This is much better sweety! You’ll see! I promise it’s a good surprise.” And then she was hustled into the warm house. 

Her mother chattered about her week, moving her to the kitchen. It seemed to Emma that she wasn’t giving her a chance to back out. Her urge to take Henry and run was now going into overtime. Her bad feeling increased when she hears multiple male voices coming from the dining room, and then her vision went slightly red when she recognized the unknown voice. Neal.

She turned to her mother. “You didn’t, tell me you didn’t.”

Mary Margaret kept an innocent look on her face, while a slight gleam in her eye told Emma she in face did do it. She had invited Emma’s horrible ex, Henry’s father, to dinner with them. Neal had shown up back in town in early August, claiming he wanted another chance with her and time with Henry. How dare she keep him from him. She, of course, explained that he had lost those rights to see him when he had set her up for his crime and ran. Never mind the fact that the police had tracked him down at her request and told him about the pregnancy, never mind that he had willingly signed his rights away. When he threatened to sue for custody, her mother had suggested that they try to make their relationship work again. She was a firm believer in true love, and first loves. Neal hadn’t backed down, so even now, Emma was in the process of talking with a lawyer to make sure Henry would be staying with her. Mary Margaret couldn’t understand why Emma wouldn’t give Neal another chance, and she didn’t want to go through all the reasons they were wrong for each other. Including but not limited to the fact that Neal was 26 when he and Emma met, while she was 17. 

She walked into the kitchen as calmly as she could, but couldn’t stop from stiffening when Neal came into view. Holding onto Henry, who was trying to squirm to the floor. He was at the age that he didn’t like to be held. 

“Neal.” Emma spoke coolly. “Henry doesn’t want to be held.”

Neal rolled his eyes and set Henry down. He understood who Neal was, Emma had sat him down and explained a lot when Neal had first come to town. Killian had been there as well to help him, Emma remembered how worried Henry was that Killian would leave because Neal came back. Of course, Killian had told Henry he would never leave, and then just weeks later, had done just that. She really needed to stop thinking about him, it was not helping her. 

“Let’s eat!” Mary Margaret called. The table was filled with their usual ginormous breakfast that they could never finish. So, Emma and Henry were sent home with piles of leftovers. 

Once they were all seated, they dug in and talked about random topics. Mostly how Henry was liking second grade, and the fun arts and crafts he was doing. Emma was quiet through most of it, not wanting to talk to Neal, and annoyed at her parents for pushing her when she’d asked them not too. It wasn’t until Henry started talking about the summer that she paid attention and jumped into the conversation. 

“And then after schools done, Killian said he’d take me sailing. Gramma did you know he knows how to nava—nava—travel by stars? He said he learned in the Navy! And his ship is huge! It looks like a pirate ship! I think I want to be a pirate for Halloween next year, and Killian can be a pirate too. He couldn’t come trick or treating this year cause he had to work, but I think he’ll be able to next year. He always comes with us. Anyway, he’s gonna show me how to be a real sailor. And Ms. Belle at the library gave me books on sailing and the pictures are awesome! Mom have you asked Killian if he’s coming to my parent job day? It happens in January and he said he would come, but he has lots of work right now and I don’t want him to forget, so you have to remind him.” Henry’s happy voice chattered while stuffing his face with waffles and bacon. 

Neal had gone silent at Henry’s turn in conversation. Mary Margaret and David looked uncomfortable. And Emma was annoyed at their reactions more than anything. Killian had been a staple in Henry’s life since he was born, he was there on visiting days at the jail after she’d found out she was pregnant. He was there when they let Emma out after 6 months. He was there when her water had broken just before they were going to visit her parents. He was there in the room with her coaxing her to keep going. He was the first person besides her to hold Henry. He had been there for every single milestone and had more right that Neal did, to be apart of Henry’s life. 

“I’ll go to your Parents’ Day with you.” Neal announced. “After all, I’m your father. Killian isn’t. He doesn’t have any right to go!”

“That’s a great idea! Won’t that be fun Henry?” Mary Margaret chimed in brightly. 

Emma tensed more when Henry frowned. “But I want Killian to go. He said he would. He’s my friend!” His voice began to tremble, his lower lip poking out. It was time to put an end to it. Even if Killian had up and disappeared on her, he always spoke to Henry when they crossed paths. 

“Of course, Killian will be going with you Henry.” Emma comforted, glaring at the other adults, David was the only one who looked chagrined. “He’s never broken a promise to you sweety. In fact, I’ll talk to him in a few days just to confirm.”

Henry calmed down, appeased by her answer. They finished eating in a tense silence, only Henry seemed unaffected. When he asked to be excused to go play in the snow, Emma agreed and made sure he was out the doors before she turned to the other three in the room. Let them say their piece first, she decided. She would let them try to explain, excuse and defend; and then she would give them a piece of her mind. 

“Emma,” Mary Margaret began. “Neal deserves to have a bit of a relationship with Henry.”

Neal quickly interrupted, standing from the table. “Look you can’t keep my kid from me! I AM going to parent’s day because he’s MY son. If he doesn’t like it then he’ll have to get over it. I deserve a place in his life, so it’s time for you to get over yourself, because he obviously wants his parents to be together. So, if you would stop being so damn stubborn then maybe we could actually get somewhere. Instead I have to rely on talking to your mom about what you and Henry are up to. And if this continues Emma, I swear I’ll fight for full custody.”

“There’s no need to get mad Neal!” Mary Margaret looked surprised at his outburst. David was about to say something but Emma held up a hand to stop both of them. She leveled a look at Neal.

“Let me be very very clear Neal.” Her voice was soft and deadly. “You are Henry’s father; I’m not disputing that. But you have no rights to him, when you sent me to jail and I found out I was pregnant I didn’t want you in his life at all.”

“I’ve explained that that wasn’t my fault!” Neal began, but was stopped by Emma again.

“The police found you, they asked if you wanted anything to do with your son.”

“I thought they were lying!” He claimed, then withered under her glare. 

“You signed your rights away to me, regardless of whether you though they were lying, you signed those rights away. I’ve been in contact with a lawyer,” She almost scoffed at the surprised look on everyone’s faces. “You didn’t think that I would take your threats, lightly did you? You have no legal right to him, I will let you visit him, because he does deserve to know his father. But I have a stable job, a house and a support system. No matter how much money you throw at anyone one, they will look at my record versus yours and I will win.” She paused to let all of that sink in. 

“Now onto the Killian issue. He is my best friend. He is, for all intents and purposes, no matter how much any of you don’t like it, Henry’s father. No!” She said loudly when they began to protest. “He might not be Henry’s biological father, but he has been more of a dad to him than you will ever be able to be. He is non-negotiable. He will always be in Henry’s life and there is nothing any of you can say to change that.” Even if he wouldn’t be a part of her life, her heart hurt.

“I knew he was lying when he said he’d back off!” Neal spat. “How long have you been sleeping with him? Probably since before us, but listen, just cause you are willing to whore yourself out to him.”

“That’s enough!” David sprang to his feet, a murderous gleam in his eyes. “You DO NOT talk about my daughter like that. I may have gone along with this stupid plan to try and bring you and Emma back together, but not anymore. I’ve seen enough of you to know that you will never be good enough for my daughter and if you think that you can compare to Killian and what he has done for her, you’ve lost your damn mind. Now get out of my house.” Emma was sure that if she had been paying attention, she would have seen her father wind up for the punch, but she was stuck on Neal’s words. The punch sent him sprawling to the floor, not knocking him out though. When David went to throw him out Emma spoke. 

“Wait!” He halted and she moved closer to Neal. “What did you mean he said he’d back off?”

Neal sneered and winced as it hurt his face. “I told him that we were going to get back together but that I needed him gone to make sure you weren’t distracted. You think I haven’t seen the yearning dopey eyed looks? Mary Margaret explained to him that I am Henry’s real dad and he deserves a real family”

“I don’t yearn.” Emma defended, her mind whirling as the last few months fell into place. 

“Maybe you don’t, but he does. And he agreed to back off so Henry could have a real family.”

“Get out.” She said, and turned to check on Henry. 

She helped him pack up his stuff, they had been planning on staying the night. And said she was going to let him have a sleepover with Roland. Her mom watched with wringing hands as she rushed around to gather all her stuff. 

“Emma if I had known—” She began, but Emma stopped her. She asked David to put Henry in the car. 

“Mary Margaret, I know you meant well, but this isn’t something I can just overlook. What you did affected not just me but my son. You knew what Neal did to me and you still pushed me towards him, no matter what I said to you. You’ve never accepted Killian, ever, but you accept the man who wrongfully sent me to jail? I can’t just get over that. I need to think.” She was aware as she watched her mothers face crumple that she hadn’t called her Mary Margaret in years, but she sure wasn’t acting like a mother at the moment. She moved to leave and was stopped by David. 

“I know you need to think. I called Regina to make sure she knows Henry is coming, she’s ready for him. Here,” He handed her the keys to his jeep. “I put everything in my jeep, take Henry to Regina’s and go to the Cabin. The GPS in the jeep has the coordinates. Take your time sweetheart.” He looked at her sincerely. “I am so sorry, and when you are ready we’ll talk.”  
\---  
She woke up the next morning and everything came rushing back to her. She stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes, it was time to get some more answers. After dressing she moved out to the kitchen and saw Killian sitting at the table. Hot chocolate was sitting across from him, he was staring out the window looking sad and nervous. When she glanced out the window she groaned, causing him to jump. She moved closer to the window and stared at the snow. There was too much, no way either of them was going anywhere for the next few days. 

“Swan, I’ve made breakfast. Help yourself.” She went over to the stove to scoop some eggs and bacon onto her plate. When she was seated across from him, she took him in. Last night she wasn’t able to see the dark circles under his eyes, or the way his hair was sticking in different directions from him running his fingers through it. But in the light of the day, she could clearly see the lack of sleep, from more than just last night. He looked worn. 

“Alright Jones. I want to know what the hell you’re doing here. I want to know why you decided to just up and ignore me for the past four months. I want to know why you broke your promise to me and just disappeared from my life. I want to—” She broke off as her throat tightened, she was not going to cry in front of him, that would just be the perfect end to a shitty few months. 

“Please let me explain. I’m not looking to excuse my actions Swan, nor am I looking for you to forgive me. If you’ll just hear me out, I swear I’ll leave you alone for the rest of the time we’re stuck here.” 

She nodded for him to continue, bracing herself for his explanation. 

“Neal came to me in August, a few weeks after he came back. He wanted me to back off and I refused. You’re my best friend Emma, I wasn’t just going to leave you. He got angry of course, accused both of us of some untoward things. I walked away. You have to know Emma; I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t think I had too.” He paused to take a drink and calm down. “Your mom came with him the next time. They sat me down and explained that the only thing holding you back from Neal was me. Mary Margaret said you would be happy with Neal, that you wanted to forgive him and move on, to give Henry a real family. She said—” He stopped, looking away from her. “She said I wasn’t good enough for you and that you needed someone to rely on. I asked if she thought Neal was reliable considering what he did. She said yes. They talked to me three more times before I agreed to step back. I just wanted you to be happy, even if it wasn’t with me. Ruby called me and said you’d had a falling out, that ended in David punching Neal and kicking him out. I came to make sure you were okay.”

“Why?” She asked.

He blinked. “Why what?”

“Why do you want me to be happy?” She stared intensely at him, and he knew what she was really asking. So, he mentally steeled himself and answered. 

“Because I love you Emma, and I want you to have everything you deserve.”

She was silent for a moment, then burst. “You asshole!” She shouted, Killian was taken aback, unsure of what to say. 

“You left! You decided that because you loved me and thought that you weren’t good enough that you would just leave?! That you would just BACK OFF.” Her voice was a near screech, only broken by the obvious emotion in it. “Did you think about what I wanted? About what Henry wanted? You bastard!”

Killian was speechless, he had not expected for the conversation to go like this, he had expected her to still kick him out, though he really couldn’t leave with all the snow. And he hadn’t expected the sadness that overrode the anger in her tone.

“You tell me you love me and you say that’s why you left. You are the only one that has been through everything with me. That has stood by me, what did you think I thought of you? That you were a nice consolation prize since my stupid ex was an idiot? Do you think so little of me, that I would go back to him when I’m obviously in love with you? That I would just drop you like you aren’t the best thing to have happened to me besides Henry? That you aren’t already Henry’s father? That we haven’t been dating for who knows how long already?”

“W-What?” Killian Stuttered.

“I mean, neither of us have had a date in years, we were together every week. And I didn’t even realize we were dating until you decided to just ghost me, but we have been and you thought I’d give that up for NEAL?! NEAL?”

“I’m going to need you to back up. I may have misheard.” Killian said carefully.

“I LOVE YOU, YOU IDIOT!!” She practically screamed at him. “I’m pretty sure I’ve loved you since you threw that snowball at Jesse Martin when I made fun of my Sunday dress, when I was eight. I love you, and I’ve been afraid to say it, but now that I know why you left. I just—” Finally the tears fell. 

Killian was up and around the table in record time. He scooped her up and settled them down on the couch, holding her close. While she cried, he whispered comforts into her ear. He was a bloody idiot. The conversation he’d had with his brother a week ago came to mind. Liam had berated him for being a moron when I came to ignoring Emma, telling him that she missed him and wouldn’t care that her mother didn’t approve. 

“Do you really want her back with that wanker?” Liam had demanded. 

It had stuck with him and gave him the resolve to talk to her, after Christmas, because he was to much of a coward to deal with rejection before it. Now he saw what a bloody asshole he had been. And now that he knew she felt the same, well he’d be damned if he made the same mistake again. When she had calmed down and wiped away her tears, she ran to the bathroom to compose herself, he let her; when she came back, she looked better, but exhausted. 

“I’ve been an idiot.” He confessed, causing her to snort in agreement. “Emma, I love you and Henry so much, I thought if I backed off that you would be happy. Liam made me realize last week that I was lost without you two. I need you more than I can explain. I am so deeply sorry for how much I’ve hurt you. If you don’t forgive me, I’ll understand, but I need you to know that not a day went by that I didn’t think of you.” When he was finished, he looked at her anxiously. 

“How do I know it won’t happen again?” Emma looked back with the same anxiety as he felt. 

“Have you ever known me to make the same mistake twice?” He asked, her small smile gave him a sliver of hope. “I can’t promise I won’t mess up. You know that more than anyone, we’ve fought over the years, both said stupid things, but I will never let you go if you say you’re mine. You are the most precious treasure I’ve ever come into contact with. I swear to you that you and Henry are my life. I love you more every day I spend with you, and missed you more every day I didn’t.”

Emma breathed deep. “Then I forgive you Killian Jones. And expect you to do some pretty hard groveling.”

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her like he’d dreamed. It was everything and more, like the world stood still for that one perfect moment, to let them bask in the rightness of it. His heart seemed to beat in time with hers. No matter what came, his heart now belonged to her. Emma felt the same, as his soft lips moved against hers, she could see their future. She could see their eventually wedding, their home, their second child (because of course Henry was already his in every way that counted.), growing old with him. It all fell into place with that kiss.

He moved back to stare at her, the love in his eyes making the blue shine. “I’ll grovel every damn day for the rest of our lives. And now that we’re together, I have so many thoughts on where to begin.” HE wiggled his brows and she laughed, pulling him closer to kiss him. 

“Well, we are stuck here for a few more days yet. Let’s see what you’ve got sailor.” She let out a squeak when he swung her into his arms.

“That’s lieutenant to you Swan.” He murmured, his voice deepening as he made his way to the master bedroom. Thinking of how this would be the best Christmas of his life. 

“Remind me to thank Ruby when we get back to town.” Her voice breathless with anticipation. Merry Christmas indeed.

\---  
Three years later

Emma curled on the cabin couch with her husband, watching ten-year-old Henry show his little one-year-old sister Hope all the ornaments on the tree. She could here her parents in the kitchen, laughing and preparing dinner. Killian kissed her forehead and leaned down to kiss her stomach.

“Only a two more months little one,” He murmured. “You ready for another Mrs. Jones?” 

“Absolutely Mr. Jones.” She responded. 

And in the firelight, she reflected on her life, how perfect everything was. She had everything thing that mattered in life.


End file.
